Apparatus for cutting plastic glass and similar substances.



F. L. 0. WADSWORTH. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PLASTIC GLASS AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES.

APPLICATIDN FILED FEB.I26, I9I3. 1,241,790.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIIII l In,

fawm- Patented Oat. 2, 1917.

@Normali F. L. O. WADSWURTH.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PLASTIC GLASS AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES.

APPucATIoN FILED FEB. 25, |943.

1,241,790. Patented A Oct. 2, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEEI' 2.

F. L. O. WADSWORTH.

APPARATUS FDR CUTTING PLASTIC GLASS AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25. 1913.

1,241 ,790. Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. O. WADSWOBTI-I, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 BALL BROTHERS GLASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MUNCIE, INDIANA, A COR- PGRATION OF INDIANA.

Specication ot Letters Patent.

Patented oet. '2, 191%.

Application illedlebruary 26, 1918. Serial No. 750,818.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK L. WADS- won'rn, .a citizen of the United States, re siding at Pittsburgh inthe county of Allegheny and State of lennsyl'vania, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Cutting Plastic Glass and Similar Substances, of which the following is a specification..

My invention relates to improvements m the method and apparatus for cutting out a series of individual batches of glass from a large massof the molten material in a furnace or other source of supply, and delivering them in succession to a series of molds or otherI receptacles in which each separate molten batch may be subjected to pressing or blowing or other forming operations. The particular objects of my 1mprovement are to greatl increase the speed with'which such operatlons may be carried on and to improve the quality of the prod uct produced as a result'of the operations. To this end my present improvements are directed primarily to a cutting mechanism so formed and associated lwith a delivery outlet of a furnace or other source of supply of molten glass that the stream issuing therefrom may be successively cut 'and manipulated in a manner t0 cause a lateral expansion of the freshly cut stream immediately above `the cut.

In the drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure` 1 illustrates in cross-section one arrangement of cut-oif and delivery mechanism 'suitable for thecpractice of my invention Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views illustrating the action of the cutoil` and deliveryv mechanism; Fig. 4 'is a similar view showing a slight modification in the construction and arrangementl of.the cut-oil parts; Fig. 5` atsectional view of the glass stream on a larger scalez illustrating diagrammatically the condition of the' stream shortly after it has 'been cut' Fig. 6 a'perspective view of a. desirable form of cutters; Fig. 7 a perspective view of a modified form of cutters.

In the practice of my invention I preferably supply themolten glass to the cut-off and delivery parts of the apparatus through an opening 1 in the bottom block of a dog house extension or flow block chamber' 2 which projects from the front of the melting furnace or main tank 3 in which the supply of molten material is prepared for use. The temperature in the ilow block chamber is subject to local regulation and control by means of a burner 4 which 'enters one4 side of this chamber, and may be used, if necessary, to heat the glass contained therein somewhat above the temperature of the glass in the main portion of the furnace. I prefer however to keep the temperature of the molten material at just as low a point as will permit it to flow properly through the opening 1 in the bottom block. At the lower end of this o ening Il provide a. water cooled ring or nozz e 5 of cast iron or other metal having a central opening somewhat smaller than the opening 1 and maintained at such a temperature, by the flowing-water entering through the pipe 6, as to form a skin or sheath of Partially congealed glass around the circum erence of the opening in the ring 5 and extending slightly below the lower edge of this opening, as shown by heavy shaded portion in Fig. 5.v This congealed skin or sheath of glass itself forms a. non-conducting tube or guard through which the hotter glass iiows downwardly without coming in contact with the surfaces of the iron of the ring block 5.' Byvarying the temperature and the flow of water through .the opening in this` block the thickness of the congealed glass sheath may be varied to a considerable extent and the temperature of the flowing 'glass -also varied to some extent; these two actions operating conjointly to'vary the volume and rate o1"` flowv of the molten material. Further variation in such volume or rate of iow may be secured, if desired, by varying the size of the opening in block 5. Just below the lower or outlet,surface of this vblock I arrange ,two reciprocating cut-olf blades 7 and 8 which 'move in slides mounted on the L- shaped bracket 9. As shown in Fi 1 and 5, these cut-oli' blades are arran e to move at an angle to the central line o the downwardly flowing stream of glass issuing from the opening in the block 5, and the angle of the cutting edges of these blades is such that when the said blades are brought together they form-as shown in Figs. 2 to 7-a conoidal pocket with symmetrically disposed sides for the reception and support of the ,cut-oil end of the glassl stream. The cutters may be varied in form to a considerable extent, but it is desirable to have the lower end of the streamv approximate, as closely as possible, the lower end of the receiving mold by the time this end of the stream reaches the lowerend of the mold. It is practical, therefore, to make the upper face of cutter 8 trough-like, as shown at 52, the cutting end notched, as shown at 53.

'Cutter 7 may then be semi-cylindrical, or

cylindrical, as shown in Fig.' 6, with its cutting end notched as indicated at 5 4, so that, when the cutters have been overlapped they will form a conoidal or pyramidal pocket for the reception of the swelling lower end of the glass stream. This arrangement of the cut-oil' blades at an angle to the horizontal, and the disposal of the cutting edges at corresponding angles to the horizontal, so as 4to form the symmetrical receiving pocket just referred to, constitutes one of the features of my invention, the advantages of which will be hereafter more fully referred to. The two cutting blades 7 and 8 are actuated simultaneously in their o eni'ng and closing movements by any suita le mechanical means, such, for example, as the rack and pinion mechanism shown in Fig. 5. This mechanism comprises two pinions 10 and 11 which are mounted on shafts extending across the lower member of the L-shaped frame `9 and engage respectively with racks on the blades 7 and 8. These pinions are themselves rotated simultaneously in the same directionand in so rotating move the blades 7 and 8 in opposite directionsby means of pinions at the outer ends of the cross shafts which are engaged in turn by the reciprocating rack bar 12; the latter being moved at the required intervals of cut-oil by any suitable means, as, vfor example, by the cam 13. The pinions 10 and 11 are preferably made of different size so as to move the two cut-oil' blades 7 and 8 at varying speed; the object of this arrangement being to bring the edge of the lower cut-oil? blade 7 to the central line of the downwardly flowing stream at the same time that the opposite edge of the upper cut-oil'l blade 8 has been brought to the overlappin vcut-oil' position shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

'Illia bracket 9 on which the cut oil' blades are mounted is supported in slides 14 on the front wall of the flow block chamber and can be adjusted and clamped in any desired position by means of a screw 15 and bolts 16.- This enables me to place the plane of ,the temperature of a flowin the .cut on blades 7 and 8 at any desired vertical distance below the face of the delivery o ening in the block 5. The adjustment o 4this vertical distance and the resultant location ofthe plane of the cut oil knives at a predetermined pointbelow the How block orifice-determined b the diameter .ofthe lass stream and t e hysical conditions o the molten materiallconstitutes another ,important feature of my invention, for I have discovered that when stream of glass is properly regulated and t e said stream is out at a short distance below the delivery orifice from which it issues, the flow of the molten material will vmomentarily be arrested, and the cut olf stream or mass between the orice and the plane of cut will remain practically stationary save for a slight lateral enlar ment or swelling out such as is indicate to an exaggerated degree in Figs. 2 and 5. By ad]u'stinv the plane of the eut oi up and down until this condition is lsecured, all lappin or folding over and piling u? of the cut o end of the stream upon itsel such as occurs when the flowing stream is cut at some distance below the point of dischar e and which is a very fruitful source of di culty in ordinary Howing stream methodscan be completely avoided and a greatly improved mode of operation can be obtained. When the cut off blades are opened, as in Fig. 3 the enlarged gob or mass of glass 17 which has been resting on and between the symmetrically disposed closed shear blades 7 and 8, drops downward between the blades as shown in that figure-or by dotted lines in Fig. 4 in a homogeneous and unstratiiied mass, free from an laps or chords or entrained air bu bles and blisters; and the How of clean undisturbed glass from the orifice in the block 5 is resumed4 and continues un-V til the shear blades are once more closed by their actuating mechanism. This mechanism is preferably of such a character that both the opening and closing movements are performed as rapidly as possible-as for example by the special design of cam 13 of Fig. l-so as to obtain a sharp clean cutting action on closing and a quick clean discharge on opening; and the shear blades may, if desired, be water cooled althou h owin to the self supporting action o the cut o stream when severed at the oint and in the manner above describedt is is far less necessary in the practice of my improved method than it is in the practice of the ordinary flowing stream methods of cutting out and delivering individual molten masses or batches to glass machines.

The supply and cut olii' mechanism-comrising the water cooled dischar e orifice block 5, the inclined reverse beve ed shear blades 7 and 8 placed close below said block and coperatin when closed to form a symmetrica conoi al pocket for the reception bfthe cut oil' stream, and the reciprocating mechanism by which these blades are moved-symmetrically with relation to the stream-may be mounted as a whole on the Wall or walls of the flow block chamber, as shown in Fig. 1 and used to supply a series of individual batches or masses of molten glass to any form of glass machine requiring such a series of individually delivered molten masses for its operation. It is for this reason that I have shown the parts above referred to asmounted independentl of any particular glass machine, but it wi l be readily understood that all of these parts, save the water-cooled flow block 5` maybe supported on the frame of the glass machine 2o instead of on the walls of the flow block chamber. v

In the arrangement illustrated'in Fig. 1 the glass is shown as being supplled to one of the molds of a pressing and blowing machine similar in general respects to the ones used' in the manufacture of fruit j ars or wide mouth bottles, the details of which are not herein claimed.`

As I have before explained the size of the flowing stream of glass may be varied to a considerable extent b varyin the flow of cooling water throug the ho low delivery plate 5, and thereby varying both the thickness of the chilled or congealed skin on the 36 outside of the glass stream and also to some extent the temperature of the flowing glass itself. The rate of flow can also be varied by varying the temlperature of the body of glass in the flow b ock chamber 2. If de- 40 sired the ow can be further varied by altering the size of the orifice in the delivery late or block 5 in any suitable manner, as, or example, by usingadjustable gates. But I prefer to maintain the orifice in the block 5 at a uniform size, and regulate the volume of glass in each cut off mass as far as possible by varying the thickness of the skin at the edge of the delivery orifice in the manner above described. If such re lation, to-

gether with the regulation of t e temperature in the flow block' chamber, is not suiiicient to maintain the cut-olf masses at predetermined uniform volume I maintain that uniformity by regulation of the s eed of the operation as a whole. It is o course understood that in this operation the mechanism which operates the cut-oli' blades is connected to` and operated synchronouslyr with, themechanism which actuates the mold carriers. In order to alter the volume of the cut-olf masses deposited in successive molds, it is, therefore, only necessar to either accelerate or retard the speed o the driving motor by which the connected mechanism as a whole is operated. For this purpose a controlling rheostat may be used when the apparatus 1s driven by an electric motor, or some simple form of accelerating or retarding differential gears may be used when the apparatus is driven by a belt from a line shaft revolving at constant speed.

It will now be obvious to those skilled in the art that various detail modifications of construction in the delivery, in the cut-off, and in the mold actuating parts, ma be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, the angle of the cut-off blades and their inclination to the horizontal may be varied through a conslderable range-as illustrated for example 83 1n F1 2 and 4it being only desirable that t e angles of the cutting edges of these blades be made substantially twice as great as the angle at which .these blades are inclined to theAhorizontal, so that when the 35 blades are closed there will be formed in cach case a symmetrically disposed conoidal pocket, the sides of which are equally inclined to the axis of the glass stream. The angles employed in any case will be determined to some extent by the form and character of the mold in which the glass is to be deposited and subsequently molded to shalpe.

hroughout the description and claims, which form this specification, the terms molten glass, glass and molten matcrial are used, and intended to be used, as generally descriptive of that comparatively limited class of materials rendered plastic by heat but which do not, in the-ordinary commercial manipulation thereof at least, reach such condition of fluidity as to be capable of splashing but, instead, remain viscous and somewhat dough-like in character, glass being probably the most characteristic of these materials and the one most commonl commercially manipulated in that con ition.

Having now described my invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to readily understand it, I claim:

1. In a glass workingY apparatus, the combination of a molten-g ass container havin a delivery outlet through which a stream o glass may issue, a cutting mechanism comprising a pair of coperating shear blades arranged with the cutting lane at an an le to the lineal movement o the stream, t e shear blade which moves in its cuttin action toward the outflow orifice having aeveled end complementing the coperatmg surface of the other shear blade, and a support for said shear blades adjustable lengthwise of the movement of the stream.

2. In a glass workin apparatus, the combination of a moltenass container havin a delivery outlet through which a stream o glass may issue, and a cutting mechanism comprising a pair of coperating shear blades arranged with the cuttin plane at an angle to the lineal movement o the stream, the shear blade which moves in its cutting action toward the outiiow orifice having a beveled end com lementin the cooperating surface of the o er shear lade.-

3. In a glass worki apparatus, the combination of a molten-g ass container havin a delivery outlet through which a stream o glass may issue, a trough-like cutter with its trough presented toward the oncoming stream, a coperating cutter iitting the trough cutte and having a semi-conoidal or semi-pyrami al recess formed in its cutting end, and a su port for said shear blades adjustable len wise of the movement of the stream.

4. In a lass workin apparatus, the combination o a molten-g ass container having a delivery outlet through which a stream of glass may issue, a trough-like cutter withite trough presented toward the oncoming streamyaiid a coperating cutter ittin the trough cutter and having a semi-conci alor seiii-pyramidal recess formed in its cutting en Y I5. In a lass workin apparatus, the combination o a molten-g ass container having a delivery outlet through which a stream of glass may issue, cutting mechanism assoeiated with said orifice and having the cutting plane separated from the orifice by such an amount that, when the glass stream is cut by the cutting mechanism, the lineal movement of the exterior of the stream will be arrested and continued lineal movement 'of the interior of the stream will develo into internal lateral movement swelling t e diameter of the stream adjacent the cutting plane,

a heat absorbing orifice-structure separated,

from the cutters and through which the glass stream iows, and means for varying the heat absorbing capacity of said orificestructure relative to the flowing stream.

6. In a glass workin apparatus, the combination o a molten-g ass container havin a delivery outlet through which a stream o glass ma issue, a cutting mechanism associated with and ca able of` retaining said stream, an adjustab e support for said cutting mechanism permitting adjustment of the Acutting plane len hwise of the glass stream, a heat absor ing orifice-structure selparated from the cutters and throu h w ich the glass stream ilows, and means or var ing the heat absorbing capacity of said ori ce-structure relative to the flowing stream.

7 In a glass workin apparatus, the combination of a molten-g ass container having a delivery outlet through which a stream of glass| may issue, a cutting mechanism comprising a pair of cooperating shear blades arranged with the cutting plane at an angle to the lineal movement of the stream, the shear blade which moves in its cutting action toward the outflow orifice having a beveled end complementing the cooperating sui'face of the other shear blade, a support forsaid shear biades adjustable lengthwise of the movement of the stream, a heat absorbing orifice-structure se arated from the cutters and through which the glass stream flows, and means for varying the heat absorbing capacit of said orificestructure relative to the owing stream.

8. In a glass Working apparatus, the combination of a molten-glass container having a delivery outlet through which a stream of glass may issue, a cutting mechanism comprising a pair of cooperating shear blades arranged with the cutting plane at an angle to the lineal movement of the stream, the shear blade which moves in its cutting action toward the outiiow orice having a beveled end complementing the .Coperating surface of the other shear blade, a heat absorbing orifice-structure separated from the cutters and through which the glass vstream iiows, and means for varying the heat absorbing capacity of said orificestructure relative to the iiowing stream.

9. In a glass working apparatus, the combination of a molten-glass container having a delivery outlet through which a stream of glass may issue, a trough-like cutter with its trough presented toward the oncoming stream, a coperating cutter fitting the trough cutter and having a semi-conoidal or semi-pyramidal recess formed in its cutting end, a sup ofrt for said shear blades adjustable lengt wise of the movement of the stream, a heat absorbing orice-structure separated from the cutters and through which the glass stream flows, and means for var ing the heat absorbing capacity of said ori ce-structure relative to the viowing stream.

n 10. In a glass working a paratus, the combination of a molten-g ass container having a delivery outlet through which a stream of glass may issue, a trough-like cutter with its trough presented toward the oncoming stream, a coperating cutter fitting the trough cutter and having a semiconoidal or semi-pyramidal recess formed in its cutting end, a heat absorbing orificestructure separated from the cutters and through which the glass stream flows, and means for varying the heat absorbing capacity ofv said orifice-structure relative to the flowing stream.

11. In a glass working apparatus, the combination of a molten glass container having a delivery outlet through which the glass may issue, of a cutting mechanism comprising a, pair of coperating shear blades capable of overlapping movement and so shaped as to form when closed and overlapped a colloidal or pyramidal recess for the reception and retention of the end of a glass stream issuing from the orifice.

In witness whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand. at Indianapolis, Indiana, this fourteenth day of February, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and thirteen.

FRANK L. O. WADSWORTH. Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. Hoon, FRANK A. FAmm. 

